How to Read Tire Ratings

Tires have a lot of information printed on their sidewalls, making it easy to feel overwhelmed. This article will teach you how to interpret tire ratings so that you can decipher what they mean and make the best decision for your vehicle and family.

Your tire’s sidewall features letters and numbers that are easy to decipher when you know what they signify. Learning how to read these markings on your tires will allow you to communicate more clearly with mechanics.

Size

Tire numbers are essential to understand about tires. They provide vital information on their performance and help you select the correct ones for your vehicle.

The initial three numbers, in millimeters, measure the width of a tire from one sidewall to another. This measurement is essential as it indicates what size tire should be used on which vehicle and rim combination.

Next is aspect ratio, which is measured as a percentage of a tire’s width. This number provides insight into a tire’s profile and typically exceeds 55 percent for improved handling.

Aspect Ratio

When it comes to tires, aspect ratio is an essential factor in understanding their size and performance. This number represents the height of a sidewall relative to its width, which influences how well a tire handles on the road.

In many cases, the aspect ratio for a tire can be found in its technical specifications. It usually appears as a slash followed by a number.

The section width, measured in millimeters, indicates how wide the tread on a tire is. Secondly, an aspect ratio in percentage tells us how tall each sidewall is relative to its width.

A higher aspect ratio indicates the tire is taller than its width, providing better handling and traction but at the cost of a rougher ride. Conversely, if the sidewall is shorter than its width, this also improves grip but makes the tire stiffer and less suitable for steering response.

Load Index

The load index, also known as the load rating, is one of the most critical numbers to check on your tires. It tells you how much weight each tire can safely bear – overloading them is never a good idea!

Passenger cars typically experience load index values between 71 and 105, while light trucks tend to fall between 70 and 124.

Load index is a more precise way of measuring a tire’s load-carrying capacity than tire range, which primarily looks at construction.

The load index number, also known as the load range measurement, provides the maximum carrying capacity of a tire when inflated to its maximum sustaining pressure. This provides additional insight into how effectively that particular tire can bear weight when fully inflated.

Speed Rating

Your vehicle’s tires are an integral component of safety and performance, so they need to be taken seriously. When shopping for new tires, be sure to understand how to read the ratings on their sidewalls so you know exactly what type of tread to expect.

A tire’s speed rating, also known as its speed index, is a letter from A to Z that indicates the maximum speed it can safely maintain while carrying its load. This system was created as an effort to guarantee safe performance at standardized speeds.

Real-world speed of a tire is determined by several factors, including inflation level, road conditions, extra cargo loads and weather. That is why it is always best to obey the law even if your tires have different speed ratings.

To determine your speed rating, locate the tire size code on your tires’ sidewall. It should be the last character in the sequence.